Birmingham Egyptology

Should marginalized groups write their own history?

The discussion topic of the Forum on Friday 31st May was chaired by Eleanor Simmance who suggested that it is worth thinking about who in ancient Egypt might have been marginalised and also raised a number of questions including :

* What is a ‘marginalised group’? Is it a social construct applied by others or is it self-defined?

* Can anyone nowadays, no matter what their social group, expect to write from an informed position about an ancient culture which (for all intents and purposes) no longer survives?

* Should we be aware of the political, social and cultural opinions of an author? Does this affect our opinion on how effective or even accurate historical analysis is ?

Many other pertinent matters were raised as summarised in Eleanor’s report in the Forum section: Last Session.

If you would like to add to the debate or raise further points on this subject please use the ‘comment’ section below the report.